


Coming Home

by ApostateRevolutionary



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Happy Ending, Romance, Shenanigans with dog, these nerds derserve some damn happiness okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-10
Updated: 2015-03-10
Packaged: 2018-03-12 04:46:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3344111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ApostateRevolutionary/pseuds/ApostateRevolutionary
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anders struggles to deal with Hawke's absence during Inquisition, but when she does finally return, she has far more important news.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Coming Home

The song in his mind reached a crescendo and Anders had to grab hold of the desk to keep from dropping to his knees. Justice surged immediately after, and the mage forced himself to take deep, shaky breaths.

“Shut up shut up shut up…” he whispered, referring to both the hum and the spirit.

The mage stumbled over to the closest chair and sat heavily, his fingers curling hard into his palms as he closed his eyes. He could ride this out. He had to. He’d been through worse than this before, and still somehow persevered. This would be no different. The Calling was false. It had to be. If he just kept telling himself that, it would go away, and then Justice would be able to calm down as well.

Yet as the song rose again, he felt Justice push just a little harder. Anders’ consciousness started to slip, and the faint taste of the Fade came.

_No, not now. We’re okay. We just need to relax._ He thought, fighting back against the panicked spirit. Justice didn’t understand that Anders being afraid or in pain or whatever didn’t necessarily mean he was in mortal danger, but it wasn’t as if he could simply explain that.

Just as Anders thought he was about to lose the fight, something wet touched his tense fist. He opened his eyes tentatively, looking down to see Rosco, Hawke’s mabari, staring at him quizzically. Slowly, he reached out to stroke the dog’s head, the slight pull of his fur bringing Anders back to centre.

“Oh yes, of course you need attention. Maker forbid you go without for more than a moment.” He said sarcastically, before realizing with horror that he was now _talking_ to the dog. Voluntarily.

The mage silently thanked the Maker that Hawke wasn’t here to see that. She’d _never_ let him live it down. The mabari rubbed against his open hand when the petting didn’t continue, and Anders huffed before obliging. Normally Anders just ignored the beast when he got insistent, but he had to admit the dog was helping. It was possible Rosco was smart enough to know he was having trouble, if even half of what they said about mabari was true.

Anders soon came to regret acknowledging the beast, since the blasted dog wouldn’t leave him alone after that. It was a very long evening of being followed around everywhere he went, pestered until he finally ate something, and, now, being nosed in the direction of the bed.

“What are you– It’s not even that late! And besides, how am I supposed to sleep with…” Anders trailed off as he realized the song was actually quieter.

Well, perhaps it wasn’t really quieter, but it was much easier to ignore. The mage was becoming grudgingly grateful. Perhaps this dog was more than just a slobbering, needy annoyance after all. A big wet lick on Anders’ hand changed his mind. Rosco was still all of those things; there was no doubt about that.

Anders spent the night curled around the dog, his desire to feel a warm body against him finally winning out over his pride. He slept through the night, though it was still fitful. He awoke slowly the next morning, and, for the briefest of moments, he swore he felt Hawke lying next to him. He smiled, leaning over to give her a kiss. Instead, his lips found short, coarse hair. Fully awake now, he pulled away and wiped his mouth with disgust, as the mabari looked back at him. If Anders’ hadn’t known better, he would’ve sworn he saw a hint of dejection in the dog’s eyes.

As the days passed, Anders became used to Rosco’s near-constant attention. Though it was tiresome, it made it much easier for the mage to keep a grip on reality. He still preferred cats any day, and finding a kitten was definitely something he’d have to insist on if– _when_ Hawke returned. The familiar hollow feeling returned whenever he thought about how long she’d been gone, but Anders pushed through it, just like everything else. No one could ever say he wasn’t resilient.

As days turned to weeks, he awoke one morning to find the Calling silent, and Justice calm. Part of him wanted to cry out from joy, but another part of him wondered what that meant. Whatever Hawke had done, it’d worked. Maybe this meant she’d be home soon. She _had_ to come home, after all. Right? Anders couldn’t bear considering the alternative, but it was hard to stay hopeful after so long. Rosco, sensing his distress, curled up closer to him.

“She’ll come back, old boy. She _has_ to come back.” he whispered, gently patting the dog’s head.

* * *

“Alright, one more time.” Anders said, waving the hand that held a rather large stick.

Rosco was sitting on his haunches before him, eyes shining and body nearly shaking with excitement. Anders had just turned to throw the stick out the door when he saw an exhausted-looking figure in the doorway. Startled, he launched the stick straight into the ground, nearly losing his balance in the process, and Rosco raced past him to pounce on it greedily.

The figure stayed still for a moment before bursting into laughter, having to lean against the doorframe to keep from falling over. Anders tensed for a moment, ready to fight, until his mind finally realized it was Hawke.

Before he could think, Anders was across the room and pulling his still-laughing lover into his arms, kissing all over her face. Of course, this only made Hawke laugh harder as she half-heartedly attempted to push him away. Anders started to laugh too, despite himself, as relief flooded through him.

Hawke had just barely managed to get her giggles under control, taking a moment to wipe the tears from her eyes, when she said, “Well, I see you two have been getting along well.”

Anders felt his cheeks flush, and he tried to sound nonchalant. “Oh, I wouldn’t say that. He’s just relentless if you don’t exercise him enough. I didn’t want to deal with all that, you know.”

Hawke grinned at him. “Mhmm, of course. How could I have ever thought otherwise?”

Before Anders could argue against her sarcasm, she pressed a light kiss to his lips.

“Maker, I’ve missed you. You don’t know what I had to go through…” Hawke whispered.

As she clung to him, she looked unusually vulnerable. It worried him. Anders pulled her closer, gently kissing the top of her head.

“It’s alright, love. It’s over now.” he murmured.

“And what about you, Anders? Are you alright?” she asked, looking up at him now with concern in her eyes.

“I’d say so. The Calling… stopped a while ago.” Anders replied. “Though apparently I’ve made friends with your blasted dog, so maybe I have finally lost my mind after all.”

Hawke laughed slightly at that, which was what he’d been hoping for. He slowly pulled away from her, gesturing to the kitchen. He’d starting cooking some stew earlier, at Rosco’s insistence, and it should’ve been ready by now. As they ate, the couple discussed everything they both had been through while apart. Anders told her of his worries and the Calling, and then listened patiently as she told him about what she’d experienced. When she talked of the fear demon, what it had said to her, he reached out and took her hands in his, promising that he was hers, for as long as she would have him, and that no one would ever take him from her. It hurt to see her so shaken, but all he could do now was give her a reassuring smile. By the end of the tale, she even managed a small smile of her own. It would take some time to work through all she’d suffered, he knew that, but he didn’t care as long as he could make sure she would feel better.

“I would’ve been back sooner, but I had to clear up the Warden business at Weisshaupt. I wanted to send word, but things were complicated enough.” Hawke said, seeming to want a change of subject.

“It’s alright, love. I’m just glad you returned.” he responded, reaching out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear, his thumb tracing down her cheek.

“There’s also something I learned on the way back you’d want to know. It’s… probably good that you’re sitting down for this.” she added, causing him to pull his hand back.

“Sitting down…? Hawke, what’s going on? Please don’t tell me you’re leaving again.” he said, sounding more heartbroken than he wanted.

“No no no, it’s nothing bad. Just… surprising.” Hawke said, not quite concealing a grin. “They’ve elected a new Divine.”

Anders wasn’t surprised. “Well, it’s about time they put another old biddy on the Sunburst throne.”

Hawke rolled her eyes. “There’s more to it than that. Do you remember Sister Nightingale from Kirkwall?” He thought for a moment, then nodded. “It’s her.”

In truth, he barely remembered meeting her, though he did remember who she really was. Leliana, companion to the Hero of Ferelden, was far more noteworthy. Though it was said she’d only helped during the fifth Blight because she actually believed the Maker had sent her a vision.

“That’s… probably not a good thing.” he said, trying to imagine all the damage a Divine who thought herself a prophet could do.

“It is, actually.” Hawke said, her grin beginning to widen. “She’s called for an end to the Circle of Magi forever. Mages have been given the right to govern themselves.”

Anders just stared at her, dumbfounded. He opened his mouth, but found no words and closed it again. The Circle was… gone? Truly? He couldn’t believe it. It was… It wasn’t possible. Was it? Thoughts raced through his mind, too fast for him to catch any of them.

“Y-you’re sure?” he finally asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.

“I am.” Hawke pulled a small pamphlet out of her pocket and handed it to him. “Official news, straight from Val Royeaux.”

He snatched the pamphlet from her hand, quickly scanning the words, trying to focus on actually reading it. His eyes widened as he read the last line, and he repeated it out loud to make sure it was real.

“…her Perfection has called for an end to the Circle of Magi and declared that mages shall now govern themselves.” he mumbled, his hands starting to shake as his grip tightened on the parchment.

He looked up at her then, eyes wide. She smiled back from across the table, gently reaching out a hand to rub his arm. Anders didn’t know how to react. It _was_ real. The future he’d fought so hard for was finally here. Everything he’d done…

“It was worth it…” The healer whispered, still in shock.

“Yes, Anders. It was all worth it. It’s over now.” Hawke said softly.

Tears welled up in his eyes, but for the first time since he could remember they were from joy rather than pain. Hawke stood up from her seat and came around the table, pulling him against her. He leaned his face against her stomach, caught somewhere between laughing and crying, his arms holding her tight.

They allowed themselves that moment. Both of them had lost so much in the name of making a better world for mages, and now it had finally come. Anders was downright euphoric, the happiness buzzing inside him until he thought he might burst from it. He felt as though a weight had been lifted, as if he could finally lay down his burden and actually _rest_ for once. Hawke was almost as happy as he was, though no small part of that was because her love was happy, _truly_ happy, for the first time since they’d met. They cherished this, both vowing never to forget it.

Some time later, Anders started to calm and he looked up at Hawke, beaming, as she ran a hand through his hair. She was smiling back.

“You did this, Anders. Never forget that.” She whispered.

He chuckled slightly. “Tell that to the mages who rejected our help.”

“Forget them. They were just scared. Without you, none of this would’ve happened. You know that, right?” She said, moving one hand to caress his cheek.

He leaned into her touch, and then turned to kiss her palm. “I suppose I do.”

Anders then stood up, pulling Hawke closer to kiss her deeply. She melted against him, a small noise leaving her mouth. The kiss was unlike any they’d shared before, born of pure delight and joy. Anders’ hands started to wander as it became more heated, but his plans were interrupted when Hawke started to laugh.

The blonde pulled away, confused. “What are you laughing at?”

“It’s just… Is this how you pictured things turning out after we left Kirkwall? I survived a physical trip to the Fade, you’ve made friends with my dog, and the Circle’s have been dissolved forever. Do you think we should go outside and check for flying pigs?” She asked, barely containing her laughter.

Anders couldn’t help but chuckle at that. This was definitely not what he’d expected in the slightest. If he was being honest, he thought they’d have been hunted down and captured or killed long before now. This, however, was so good it was almost surreal. Hawke returning safe and sound would have been more than enough to make him happy, and he never would’ve asked for more. But to hear that the Circles were gone? That mages were truly free at last? That was simply… beyond words. Everything he’d done, everything he’d sacrificed… It was worth it. He’d succeeded, at least on some level, and now it was all over. No mage would ever have to experience the horrors of the Circle again. The transition was sure to bring complications, but for now, he could relish the victory.

He felt physically lighter, as if he was made of air. Because even though Anders had been out of the Circle for a decade, it wasn’t until now, when he’d heard that his fellow mages had been given the same, that he truly felt free.

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt from Anon: Can I get some Anders and Hawke reunion after Inquisition, and Hawke telling him how the mages are free now?


End file.
